appropriate terminology, indigenous ... - · pdf fileaustralian and torres strait islander...

5
Information adapted from ‘Using the right words: appropriate terminology for Indigenous Australian studies’ 1996 in Teaching the Teachers: Indigenous Australian Studies for Primary Pre-Service Teacher Education. School of Teacher Education, University of New South Wales. All staff and students of the University rely heavily on language to exchange information and to communicate ideas. However, language is also a vehicle for the expression of discrimination and prejudice as our cultural values and attitudes are reflected in the structures and meanings of the language we use. This means that language cannot be regarded as a neutral or unproblematic medium, and can cause or reflect discrimination due to its intricate links with society and culture. This guide clarifies appropriate language use for the history, society, naming, culture and classifications of Indigenous Australian and Torres Strait Islander people/s. Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are accepted as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person in the community in which they live, or have lived. Using the right names More appropriate • Indigenous Australian people/s • Aboriginal people/s • Aboriginal person • Torres Strait Islander people/s • Torres Strait Islander person The ‘more appropriate’ terms stress the humanity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Aboriginal’ which in Latin means ‘from the beginning’ and other such European words are used because there is no Aboriginal word that refers to all Aboriginal people in Australia. Less appropriate • Aborigines • The Aborigines • The Aboriginal people • Aboriginal, Aborigines • The Torres Strait Islanders • Blacks • Whites • Yellafellas • Coloured Using terms such as ‘the Aborigines’, or ‘the Aboriginal people’ tends to suggest that Aboriginal people/s are all the same, and thus stereotypes Indigenous Australians. The fact is that Indigenous Australia is multicultural. Australia before the invasion was comprised of 200-300 autonomous language groups that were usually referred to as ‘tribes’, now more often as ‘peoples’, ‘nations’ or ‘language groups’. The nations of Indigenous Australia were, and are, as separate as the nations of Europe or Africa. The Aboriginal English words ‘blackfella’ and ‘whitefella’ are used by Indigenous Australian people all over the country — some communities also use ‘yellafella’ and ‘coloured’. Although less appropriate, people should respect the acceptance and use of these terms, and consult the local Indigenous community or Yunggorendi for further advice. More appropriate Murri - Qld, north west NSW Nyoongah - WA Koori – NSW Goori - north coast NSW Koorie - Vic Yolngu - Arnhem Land Anangu - Central Australia Palawa - Tasmania Nunga (not always a more appropriate term - SA) Ngarrindjeri – SA - River Murray, Lakes, Coorong people Torres Strait Island Peoples Murray Island Peoples Mer Island Peoples Aboriginal language people terms such as ‘Koori’, ‘Murri’, ‘Nyoongah’ are appropriate for the areas where they apply. About 80% of the Torres Strait Island population now resides outside the Torres Strait and as such, local terminology such as Murray Island Peoples and Mer Island Peoples is also used. There are also local names for particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language groups, for example ‘Gamilaroy’ (NSW) or ‘Pitjantjatjara’ (NT/SA). Some people use ‘Nunga’ in general reference to Indigenous peoples who reside in and around the area of Adelaide. Many Indigenous South Australians prefer people not to presume the right to use their word ‘Nunga’. Local Indigenous Australian peo- ple (eg Yunggorendi staff at Flinders) can clarify appropriate use of this and other terms. General Information Folio 5: Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous Australian Peoples

Upload: tranhuong

Post on 30-Jan-2018

222 views

Category:

Documents


2 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous ... - · PDF fileAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s. Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal and ... as they describe

Information adapted from ‘Using the right words: appropriate terminology for Indigenous Australian studies’ 1996 in Teaching the Teachers: Indigenous Australian Studies for Primary Pre-ServiceTeacher Education. School of Teacher Education, University of NewSouth Wales.

All staff and students of the University rely heavily on languageto exchange information and to communicate ideas. However,language is also a vehicle for the expression of discriminationand prejudice as our cultural values and attitudes are reflectedin the structures and meanings of the language we use. Thismeans that language cannot be regarded as a neutral orunproblematic medium, and can cause or reflect discriminationdue to its intricate links with society and culture.

This guide clarifies appropriate language use for the history,society, naming, culture and classifications of IndigenousAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s.

Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander descent, who identify as Aboriginal orTorres Strait Islander and are accepted as an Aboriginal orTorres Strait Islander person in the community in which theylive, or have lived.

Using the right namesMore appropriate

• Indigenous Australian people/s• Aboriginal people/s • Aboriginal person • Torres Strait Islander people/s • Torres Strait Islander person

The ‘more appropriate’ terms stress the humanity of Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander people. ‘Aboriginal’ which in Latinmeans ‘from the beginning’ and other such European words areused because there is no Aboriginal word that refers to allAboriginal people in Australia.

Less appropriate• Aborigines• The Aborigines • The Aboriginal people • Aboriginal, Aborigines • The Torres Strait Islanders • Blacks • Whites • Yellafellas • Coloured

Using terms such as ‘the Aborigines’, or ‘the Aboriginal people’tends to suggest that Aboriginal people/s are all the same, andthus stereotypes Indigenous Australians. The fact is thatIndigenous Australia is multicultural. Australia before the invasion was comprised of 200-300 autonomous languagegroups that were usually referred to as ‘tribes’, now more often

as ‘peoples’, ‘nations’ or ‘language groups’. The nations ofIndigenous Australia were, and are, as separate as the nationsof Europe or Africa.

The Aboriginal English words ‘blackfella’ and ‘whitefella’ areused by Indigenous Australian people all over the country —some communities also use ‘yellafella’ and ‘coloured’. Althoughless appropriate, people should respect the acceptance and useof these terms, and consult the local Indigenous community orYunggorendi for further advice.

More appropriate• Murri - Qld, north west NSW• Nyoongah - WA• Koori – NSW• Goori - north coast NSW• Koorie - Vic• Yolngu - Arnhem Land• Anangu - Central Australia• Palawa - Tasmania• Nunga (not always a more appropriate term - SA) • Ngarrindjeri – SA - River Murray, Lakes, Coorong people• Torres Strait Island Peoples• Murray Island Peoples• Mer Island Peoples

Aboriginal language people terms such as ‘Koori’, ‘Murri’,‘Nyoongah’ are appropriate for the areas where they apply.About 80% of the Torres Strait Island population now residesoutside the Torres Strait and as such, local terminology such asMurray Island Peoples and Mer Island Peoples is also used.There are also local names for particular Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander language groups, for example ‘Gamilaroy’ (NSW)or ‘Pitjantjatjara’ (NT/SA).

Some people use ‘Nunga’ in general reference to Indigenouspeoples who reside in and around the area of Adelaide. ManyIndigenous South Australians prefer people not to presume theright to use their word ‘Nunga’. Local Indigenous Australian peo-ple (eg Yunggorendi staff at Flinders) can clarify appropriate useof this and other terms.

General Information Folio 5:

Appropriate Terminology,Indigenous Australian Peoples

www.f l inders.edu.au/CDIP

Page 2: Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous ... - · PDF fileAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s. Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal and ... as they describe

More appropriate• Uluru

Local Indigenous Australian peoples named all of Australia intheir languages before the invasion. Uluru is the Aboriginalname for this significant site in Central Australia which shouldbe respected and recognised. This recognition of IndigenousAustralia is fundamental to social justice.

Less appropriate• Ayers Rock

Part of the process of colonisation has been the Europeanrenaming of places and natural features all over Australia. AyersRock was a European name imposed on a section of Aboriginalcountry.

No more classifying peopleMore appropriate

• Indigenous Australian peoples • Aboriginal peoples• ‘Torres Strait Islander people or peoples’ may be preferable,

depending on the context

Using the more appropriate terms helps to avoid attempting toinaccurately label, categorise and stereotype people.

Less appropriate• Transitional • Traditional • Contemporary • Modern • Urban • Rural • Isolated or remote Aboriginal people/Torres Strait

Islander people

The less appropriate terms can be extremely offensive to manyIndigenous Australians as they categorise people and assumethat there are real differences between Indigenous Australianpeoples of different areas. It is critical that they are not used torefer to or to attempt to classify Indigenous peoples.

In ‘long-settled’ areas, the implication that ‘urban’ IndigenousAustralians are less Indigenous than ‘traditional’ or ‘transitional’people and cultures is most offensive. A real issue is the ‘real Aborigine’ syndrome – the idea that the ‘real’ Aboriginalpeople live in Arnhem Land or the Central desert, and that only ‘traditional’ Aboriginal people and cultures are ‘really Aboriginal’.

It is important to bear in mind that Indigenous Australians havemuch more in common than the wide use of these categorisingterms would suggest. For example, most Aboriginal people who are classified as ‘urban’ in fact have very close links to ‘traditional’ country. Many Indigenous Australians find the term‘transitional’ offensive as it implies progress upwards towardssomething better, the idea that assimilation into mainstream is better.

Caution should be used with terms such as ‘rural’, ‘isolated’ and‘remote’. These words should refer to geographical location andaccess to services only. Indigenous Australian communitieshave experienced divisiveness because these categorical termsimply that Aboriginal people living in these communities areless socialised than people living in urban communities.

More appropriate• Aboriginal people/s, Indigenous people/s, and Torres

Strait Islander people/s

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people understand theirown history and identity, and recognise that physical features donot determine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestry.

Less appropriate• ‘Part-aborigine’, ‘full-blood’, ‘half-caste’, ‘quarter-caste’,

‘octoroon’, ‘mulatto’, ‘hybrid’

In the past, governments tried to classify Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander people according to skin colour and parentageusing these less appropriate terms. Exemption certificates wereissued to Aboriginal people with lighter skin colour to allowthem the same basic freedoms that people without Indigenousheritage took for granted as citizens. The assumption was thatany Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person with any‘European’ blood was more intelligent, and a fitter member ofAustralian society.

Until 1972 when the White Australia Policy was abolished, WhiteAustralia excluded Indigenous Australian people by definition.Major changes for Indigenous Australian peoples were not introduced until 1967 through the referendum, and by returningland to some groups from 1975.

No more classifying culturesMore appropriate

• Indigenous nations• Complex and diverse societies• Efficient resource managers• Indigenous Australian society

The effectiveness and sophistication of Indigenous Australianresource management, and social organisation, is starting to bemore recognised.

Less appropriate• Primitive• Simple• Native• Prehistoric• Stone age

The less appropriate terms are offensive in that they implyAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies are not as‘advanced’ as European societies. The terms are based on the‘progress’ model of history which many people now question,and on the idea of evolution from ’lower’ to ‘higher’ (western)forms of social organisation.

More appropriate• Aboriginal people/s • Aboriginal nations• Aboriginal communities• Mob/s• Language groups• Culture groups

‘Nation’, ‘community’, ‘people’, ‘mob’ or the local language or

Page 3: Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous ... - · PDF fileAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s. Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal and ... as they describe

culture group name is usually preferable to ‘tribe’. ‘Mob’ is anAboriginal English word and as such may be more appropriate,but community acceptance may be required before using thisword. Some Aboriginal people use the term ‘tribe’ due to mainstream schooling in imposed terminology and such usageneeds to be respected.

Less appropriate• Tribe• Horde• Band• Clan• Moiety

‘Tribe’ is a European word that tends to impart western preconceptions developed from colonial experiences in NorthAmerica and Africa. ‘Horde’ is a more technical word used byanthropologists, but its common usage also has derogatoryconnotations.

Anthropologists sometimes use the terms ‘band’, ‘clan’ and‘moiety’ to convey certain characteristics of cultural groupings.Rather than trying to convey precise structures of IndigenousAustralian societies it may be more useful for teachers to con-vey the essence of Indigenous Australian social organisation.

More appropriate• Seasonal occupation • Rotational/cyclical occupation • Looking after the country/the land

The rotational or cyclical occupation of land by Aboriginal people was inaccurately portrayed as being ‘nomadic’ ratherthan the expression of an intimate knowledge of, and ability toharvest the land. It was and is based on not staying in one placeand exhausting all resources, but moving around the territory at particular times when food resources became available. The crucial concept is ‘belonging to the land’.

Less appropriate• Nomadic, nomads, nomadism

Nomadism has been associated with lack of land tenure oranchorage in land, and this has been coupled with the idea thatAboriginal people did not really occupy the land, but onlyroamed over it. The extension of the doctrine of terra nulliuswas based on this kind of distinction. Note that the 1992 MaboNative Title judgement by the High Court rejected terra nulliusas wrong both in fact and in law. For more information, seehttp://www.racismnoway.com.au/classroom/Factsheet/10.html

Dreaming and spiritualityMore appropriate

• The Dreaming • The Dreamings

‘The Dreaming’ or ‘The Dreamings’ are mostly more appropriateas they describe Indigenous beliefs as ongoing today. Manypeople use ‘Dreamtime’ to refer to the period of creation.

Less appropriate• Dreamtime

The word ‘Dreamtime’ tends to indicate a time period, whichhas finished. In reality, the Dreamings are ongoing all overAustralia. However, many Aboriginal people do still use theword ‘Dreamtime’, and this usage must be respected.

More appropriate• Spirituality

• Spiritual beliefs

In terms of Indigenous belief systems, ‘spirituality’ or ‘spiritualbeliefs’ are more appropriate. Indigenous Australian spiritualityis localised by definition, it is more a way of life, of connectedness and belonging.

Less appropriate• Religion

The word ‘religion’ tends to refer mainly to established, organised ‘world’ or western religions. It is important to recognise that many Indigenous people are religious in terms of mainstream religions, and often combine these beliefs withAboriginal spirituality.

More appropriate• Creation/Dreaming Stories• Teachings from the Dreaming/s• Legends (Torres Strait Islander people only)

It is appropriate to use ‘The Legends’ when referring to TorresStrait Islander culture. ‘Creation Stories’ or ‘Dreaming Stories’convey more respect for Aboriginal Australian people’s beliefs.Capitalising these terms conveys more respect.

Less appropriate• Myths• Folklore• Legends• Story• Stories

Using words such as ‘myth’ or ‘story’ conveys the impressionthat information from the Dreaming is not true or is trivial, oronly happened in the distant past. These words can also conveythe impression that Dreaming Stories are fairy tales rather thancreation stories.

Telling the right storiesMore appropriate

• Indigenous (Australian) history • Pre-invasion history• Invasion history• Post-invasion history

Less appropriate• Pre-history

‘Pre-history’ is a term used by some archaeologists and historians; it was developed originally to denote the time periodbefore European history was recorded in writing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people find the term offensive as itsuggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia didnot have a history before European invasion, because it is notwritten and recorded.

Use of this term denies the validity of Indigenous Australian history before what is commonly regarded as written history,and before European contact. It also denies a place forAboriginal people in history. This is still reflected in thoseschools today which begin a study of Australian history in 1770or 1788.

More appropriate• ‘… since the beginning of the Dreaming/s’

‘Since the beginning of the Dreaming/s’ reflects the beliefs ofmany Indigenous Australians that they have always been inAustralia, from the beginning of time, and came from the land.

Page 4: Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous ... - · PDF fileAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s. Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal and ... as they describe

Less appropriate• ‘Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for 40,000 years’

Forty thousand years puts a limit on the occupation of Australiaand thus tends to lend support to migration theories and anthropological assumptions. Many Indigenous Australians seethis sort of measurement and quantifying as inappropriate.

More appropriate• Captain Cook was the first Englishman to map the east

coast of ‘New Holland’

Less appropriate• Captain Cook ‘discovered’ Australia

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were in Australialong before Captain Cook arrived; hence it was impossible for Cook to be the first person to ‘discover’ Australia. MostAboriginal people find the use of the word ‘discovery’ offensive.However, it can be noted that the word ‘discovery’ can meanfinding something that one as an individual did not know wasthere. This meaning should be stressed if the word is to beused. One reason why so much had to be ‘discovered’ is thefact that Indigenous knowledge was discounted and disregardedfor so long.

More appropriate• Invasion• Colonisation• Occupation

Australia was not settled peacefully, it was invaded, occupiedand colonised. Describing the arrival of the Europeans as a ‘settlement’ attempts to view Australian history from the shoresof England rather than the shores of Australia.

Less appropriate• Settlement

The use of the word ‘settlement’ ignores the reality ofIndigenous Australian peoples’ lands being stolen from them on the basis of the legal fiction of terra nullius and negates the resistance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The fact that most settlers did not see themselves as invadingthe country, and that convicts were transported against their will is beside the point. The effects were the same forIndigenous Australian peoples.

More appropriate• ‘Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the first European

men to cross the Blue Mountains’

Aboriginal men, women and children had crossed the BlueMountains for thousands of years before European explorers.

Less appropriate• ‘Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the first men to

cross the Blue Mountains’

Statements such as this deny the Indigenous history ofAustralia, and are examples of the White Australia frame of reference that totally excludes Indigenous Australia.

More appropriate• Elders

Elders are men and women in Aboriginal communities who arerespected for their wisdom and knowledge of their culture, particularly the Law. Male and female Elders, who have higherlevels of knowledge, maintain social order according to the Law.The word ‘Elders’ should be written with a capital letter as amark of respect.

Less appropriate• Chiefs• Kings• Queens

Aboriginal people did not, and do not have chiefs, kings andqueens. The introduction of ‘kings’ or ‘queens’ was a colonialstrategy to raise up individuals for the authorities to deal with.Colonial governments had no experience of dealing with thestructures of Indigenous societies, and this was a way of tryingto make Aboriginal societies conform to English experience ofchiefs in other countries. It was a way of honouring individualstatus, but there was usually an element of mockery eg suchnames as ‘King Billy’ or ‘Queen Gooseberry’.

Note however that many Aboriginal people who are descendedfrom colonially appointed ‘kings’ and ‘queens’ are proud of this ancestry.

Reference‘Using the right words: appropriate terminology for IndigenousAustralian studies’ 1996 in Teaching the Teachers: IndigenousAustralian Studies for Primary Pre-Service Teacher Education.School of Teacher Education, University of New South Wales.

Resource bibliography and websiteshttp://www.aiatsis.gov.au/Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderStudies – click on the ‘Research’ link.Accessed March 2004

http://www.faess.jcu.edu.au/sias/research/indigenous_research_at_jcu.htmlJames Cook University: School of Indigenous Australian Studies– provides lists and brief descriptions of research projects beingundertaken by the School.Accessed March 2004

http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/ciap/index.php?page_id=129menu=2_20Southern Cross University, Northern NSW – IndigenousAustralian Peoples Research and Development Centre—lists current research projects and provides contact details.Accessed March 2004

http://www.faira.org.au/contents.htmlThe Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action –provides links to government policies and research projects onissues such as the Stolen Generation— click on ‘Issues’Accessed March 2004

http://www.austlit.edu.au/specialistDatasets/aboriginalDatabase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers andtheir works.Accessed March 2004

http://www.xculture.org/training/overview/cultural/assessment.htmlList of cultural competence literature

Page 5: Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous ... - · PDF fileAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s. Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal and ... as they describe

Circle the ‘More Appropriate’ TerminologyDreamtime The Dreaming The Dreamings

Indigenous spirituality

Indigenous religion

Indigenous myths Aboriginal story/stories

Creation Stories Teachings from theDreamings

Indigenous legends Dreaming Stories

The Aborigines Aboriginals The Torres StraitIslanders

Indigenous andTorres StraitIslander people/s

ATSI people Aboriginal people/s

Blacks White Coloured Other Australians Non-Aboriginal/Indigenous people

Yellafellas

Uluru Ayers Rock

Nomadic Seasonal occupation

Rotational/cyclical Looking after thecountry/land

Aboriginal tribe/s Aboriginal peoples/mobs

Aboriginal communities

Language groups Hordes Indigenous nation/s

Primitive Native Aboriginalpeople

Prehistoric society IndigenousAustralian society

Complex anddiverse societies

Stone age society

Pre-history Indigenous history Pre-invasion history Post-invasion history

IndigenousAustralian history

Torres StraitIslander history

Captain Cook ‘discovered’Australia

Captain Cook wasthe first Englishmanto map New Holland

Chiefs Kings Queens Elders

Aboriginal peoplehave lived here:

a) For 40,000 years b) Since the beginning of theDreamings

Settlement Invasion

TraditionalAboriginal people

Isolated Aboriginalpeople

IndigenousAustralian people/s

Modern Aboriginalpeople

ContemporaryAboriginal people

Urban Aboriginalpeople

Part aborigine Half caste Full blood Aboriginal people/s Indigenous people/s Torres StraitIslander people/s

Dreaming and spirituality

Using the right names

No more classifying people

No more classifying cultures

Telling the right stories

Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous Australian Peoples

www.f l inders.edu.au/CDIP